Thunder Over the Fortress
by ShovelsForFeet
Summary: Gamethyst. Amethyst is summoned to the throne (she hopes that it's not for her own execution) and meets a hooded figure with powers similar to her own. One shots. Tumblr: shovels-for-feet
1. Chapter 1

Amethyst scuffed the pristine marble floor with the toe of her best boots; worn and scratched up, but nevertheless the best pair she owned. She bit her lip, now critically going over the rest of her outfit, feeling shabby and out of place in front of huge doors fashioned with curling golden roses.

The said doors parted slowly and an armored guard beckoned her, "Her majesty will see you now. This way."

Amethyst gulped and forced herself to stagger into the throne room. Feeling a little dizzy, she tugged on her collar and blew out a shaky puff of air, her eyes darting everywhere but forward. Stained glass windows lined either side of the room, towering above Amethyst and reaching to the arched ceiling. Sunlight shone through the windows in pink, painting the knights against the wall in dazzling colors and turning the dust into the air to something resembling sparkles.

Amethyst found herself wishing she could enjoy it properly instead of sweating through her tunic and worrying that... perhaps she /was/ being executed. Her last image would be of pink light and and the smell of rose petals. It wasn't the worst way to go.

"Don't be afraid."

Amethyst looked up, confused to find she had already traversed the length of the throne room and now stood in front of the throne. Queen Rose sat upon her ornate throne, looking as beautiful and as dangerous as all the rumors claimed. Amethyst felt the queen's eyes scrutinize her with a wild sort of curiosity and it was at that moment Amethyst panicked; should she have been bowing all this time?! Or kneeling? Curtsying?

She flailed before flinging herself into a sloppy bow, stuttering an apology, "F-forgive me, Your Majesty."

"Rise," the queen said, leaving the apology unacknowledged.

Amethyst stood and clasped her trembling hands behind her back.

"You know why you are here?" Queen Rose asked, her voice echoing through the room.

Amethyst nodded, unable to recover her voice. She was going to die. Going to die in all pink. The scent of roses clouded her head and twisted in her gut.

"Show me," he queen commanded, leaning forward eagerly. The knight to her right readjusted her spear and the hooded figure to her left raised their head to watch.

"Ah, o-okay," Amethyst said, shaking her arms out. She wasn't even sure if she would be able to do it anymore; the impending doom was making it difficult to concentrate. She closed her eyes and did her best to focus, the tense silence pounding in her ears.

The knights along the walls gasped and shuffled nervously, metal scraping against metal. Amethyst opened her eyes and palmed at her clothes and hair, now a flowing dress and huge curling locks- almost an exact replication of Queen Rose herself.

"Amazing," Queen Rose murmured.

"This is blasphemous," her knight said, warily eyeing Amethyst-shifted-into-Queen Rose.

The queen shook her head in disagreement. "No, she has a gift." She addressed Amethyst, "Would you like a place in my guard?"

The offer startled Amethyst back into her original form. "I'm not to be... executed?"

Queen Rose laughed, her curls bouncing against her shoulders. "My apologies," she said once her laughter faded, "Garnet, would you?"

The hooded figure to her left nodded and stepped forward, her hood slipping down as she revealed her upturned hands. Flames flickered on one palm and ice burst on the other before they connected with a single blinding stream of lightning, a low rumble echoing through the throne room.

Amethyst could scarcely believe her eyes. "You're like me," she said, a grin brewing on her lips.

"I am," Garnet affirmed, voice low and stunning like the thunder her magic created.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: This ended up being day one and two's themes combined (Freedom and Kisses, respectively).**

 **And I love medieval au's but I don't know much about knights and all that jazz, so don't expect any sort of historical accuracy, haha.**

Amethyst figured she would have been foolish not to accept the queen's offer (if it was an offer at all and not just a command disguised) and began her training with Garnet. If Amethyst had been an average guard she would have trained with Pearl, the queen's right hand and personal guard, but since she was magical, she trained with Garnet, the only other magic wielding person in Queen Rose's castle.

And she loved it. Training with Garnet was liberating, not just in the physicality of it all- the dueling and mock battles and wrestling- but also in that for the first time in her life, her shapeshifting wasn't just tolerated, it was encouraged. Amethyst couldn't remember the last time she held so much freedom.

(Line Break)

"I don't need armor," Amethyst protested, trudging along behind her instructor, feeling heavy and slow and frustrated. She heard Garnet chuckle quietly.

"You do. It's been three months; most guards start training with armor their first month. You're behind," Garnet said, pushing open the gate to the training arena.

"But I'm magic. I shapeshift! I'm not even sure if I can take the armor with me when I do it," Amethyst whined.

"You ought to know how to fight in armor anyway," Garnet said, turning to her. "Now. The trick is to not let yourself fall. Once you're down you could be stabbed or trampled; it will always take you longer to get up with heavy armor on."

"Right," Amethyst wheezed, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Can we continue this when the sun is lower? It's sweltering."

"It's only the armor," Garnet assured her. She took a few steps back and lowered her stance. "Begin. Remember your training."

Amethyst sighed. Usually this was the highlight of her day, but today... it was too hot to be fun. She clumsily threw herself at Garnet, intending to barrel into her and knock her down with brute force, but Garnet darted away, calling out another warning, "Careful. Don't fall off balance."

As if for emphasis, Garnet surged forth and checked Amethyst's shoulder, sending her stumbling. Amethyst staggered back, just barely managing to stay upright. She growled, the heat making her short-tempered, and drew her sword.

"Ah," Garnet teased, drawing her own blade, "I wondered when you would remember that."

"Close your mouth," Amethyst grit out, viciously swinging her sword at Garnet.

Garnet deflected it, but grimaced at the strength behind Amethyst's hit. "Brute force will throw you off balance, Amethyst. We discussed this."

Amethyst shook her head, trying to keep the sweat out of her eyes. She raised her sword just in time to block a blow from Garnet and stumbled back unsteadily.

"Head up," Garnet instructed, "You're slouching."

Saints, did her head hurt. Amethyst's skin crawled, her form constricted and suffocated by the armor encasing her. "Garnet," she tried to say, her sword far too heavy to lift now.

Garnet didn't seem to hear, coming in for another strike that Amethyst weakly shoved away. Garnet made another instructive comment, but it was muffled by the pounding in Amethyst's ears. Amethyst pretended she understood what her teacher was saying and avoided the next few blows by stumbling and swaying out of range of her sword, before her hazy and overheated mind finally let her own sword fall from her grasp.

"...No you don't. Amethyst. Amethyst," Garnet said urgently, patting her cheek with an icey hand. Amethyst blinked, dazed as she stared up at the stone ceiling of the castle. When had they left the arena?

She felt Garnet hastily undo the straps to her chest plate and heard it clang against the other pieces of her armor on the floor. The floor. The cool stone floor was very, very pleasant and Amethyst found that she didn't really care to question /why/ Garnet was currently fumbling to strip her of her armor.

"Don't sleep," she heard Garnet say. Cold hands pressed to her forehead and the side of her neck. "Forgive me; I did not foresee... Amethyst, please."

"Whaaat?" Amethyst mumbled, forcing her eyes open.

Garnet visibly relaxed. "H-how are you?"

"Hot," Amethyst said. With some effort, she settled a hand over Garnet's cold hand lying atop her forehead. "If you move I think I'll die."

The corner of Garnet's lips quirked upwards. "I won't let you perish."

Eventually Amethyst had cooled off enough to sit up with Garnet's help. She felt tired but more alert, and with that, more aware of Garnet's hands pressed against her.

Garnet moved her hands to rest against Amethyst's flushed cheeks. "Are you alright? You're becoming red again," she said, worried once more.

"Fine, I'm fine," Amethyst insisted, moving her head out of Garnet's hands.

Garnet fell quiet for a moment before clearing her throat and asking, "May I?" She extended her hand in a request for Amethyst's own. Amethyst nodded.

Garnet's hand was still cold from her magic, but her lips were warm when they reverently kissed the back of Amethyst's hand.

Amethyst stifled a choking noise, her face flushing red again.

"I must apologize. I should have listened to you earlier," Garnet murmured, raising her head from Amethyst's hand. "I'll be more careful from now on."

"It's- it's okay."

"Your face is red again," Garnet observed, sounding the slightest bit panicked. She raised her hands but hesitated, asking for permission.

Amethyst groaned and hid her face in her hands. "You're ridiculous."

"I fail to see how."

 **Author's Note: Watch out for that heatstroke. It'll getcha.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: I combined the themes again because I am a slow writer and a lazy person. Day 3 and 4 themes are Music and Earth. Enjoy!**

Someone was singing.

Amethyst rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed, gazing at the moonlight coming in through the window. She strained her ears in the following silence, wondering if the ethereal singing was a creation of her own mind.

Or perhaps it was a ghost; a castle this old had to be haunted by something- beheaded monarchs or mistreated servants. Something.

She stiffened as the singing wafted through her door once again, quieter and slower this time, like a ghostly humming in her ears. Amethyst threw her covers off and slipped on her boots, keen to hunt down the source, whatever it was.

Amethyst stepped out into the hall, pulling her door closed before she set off down the dark corridor. She had a suspicion that it was Pearl so melodramatically wandering the halls and singing, but then again, the voice was all wrong. Pearl's singing was always so high in pitch; this song was low and faded, muffled by the castle walls.

She turned another corner and into the great hall, vaguely proud of her navigation skills when she realized the voice was closer. She noticed the heavy doors to the gardens were parted, allowing the moonlight and night air to creep in and allowing her ghost to sneak out. Amethyst darted to the door and outside, laughing as it became clear as to who was singing in the queen's garden.

Garnet, now humming, stood in a flowing night robe amongst all the rose bushes, seemingly unaware of Amethyst's eyes on her. Amethyst smirked and stretched her arms behind her head before setting into a run. She leapt and shifted into a mottled owl, cackling as she swooped towards Garnet's head.

Garnet cooly sidestepped, shooting the owl a grin. "You're going to have to be quieter if you plan on ambushing me," she said, extending one arm out for Amethyst to perch on.

Amethyst circled back to settle on Garnet's arm, hitting Garnet in the face with one of her wings as she landed.

"Pfhh." Garnet blew a feather out of her mouth and made a face. "That was unnecessary."

Amethyst stretched her wings halfway out into a makeshift shrug. "I can't say I'm sorry."

"Tch. Why are you awake?" Garnet asked, absently stroking the owl's chest feathers. Amethyst puffed up happily in response.

"I heard you singing," Amethyst said, "Why are /you/ awake and strolling round the castle?"

"I was restless."

Amethyst made an impressive show of swiveling her head around to stare at Garnet with unblinking eyes. "What about?"

Garnet hummed evasively and moved her hand to pet Amethyst's feathered head.

"You won't distract me with head scratches!" Amethyst declared, fluttering her wings. Garnet drew her hand away but kept silent. Amethyst grew concerned when she realized Garnet didn't make a retort in return. "...Was it a bad sort of restless?"

Garnet shrugged slightly with her free arm. "Eh."

Amethyst shifted her weight, careful not to dig her talons into Garnet. "Well... Are you okay now?"

"Much better actually," Garnet said, giving Amethyst a final pat on the head before extending her arm again. "Can you turn back for me?"

"Sure." Amethyst stepped off of Garnet's arm and shifted back into her own form, feet hitting the ground. She brushed her hair out of her face. "Why?"

"It would be difficult to do this with a bird perched on my arm," Garnet matter-of-factly said, kneeling down in front of the rose bush. She drew a dagger from her hip and cut the stem of a rose, plucking it up and offering it to Amethyst.

Mystified, Amethyst took the rose and twirled it between her fingers. "How did you...?" She trailed off, motioning to the rose's petals, half pink and half blue, mixing in the center.

Garnet laughed. "Queen Rose made these for me; I don't know how she did it either."

Amethyst wasn't sure whether it was Garnet's laugh or her gift that made her feel so warm. "Thank you. It's beautiful."

Garnet smiled and rose to her feet, looking like she intended to say something else but kept quiet.

"Garnet, I uh..." She stepped closer to Garnet, reaching out hesitantly. Garnet didn't withdraw (out of shock or acceptance, Amethyst didn't know) and Amethyst dared to wrap her arms loosely around the woman's waist. She felt Garnet exhale before she returned the embrace, holding her tightly and setting her chin over Amethyst's head.

There was no rush, so they stayed like that for a while, listening to the chorus of nocturnal creatures, surrounded by the smell of dirt and roses and each other.

 **Author's Note: P.S. Garnet was lovesick.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: And you thought you had seen the last of this fic! Nope! I'm continuing it even though the Gamethyst Bomb is over (I didn't even finish the bomb unfortunately. School became a tad overwhelming).**

 **Enjoy the fluff and bed sharing lol.**

Amethyst smirked as she prowled up to Pearl's feet, tail flicking deviously. Once she was only a few inches away, she arched her back and fell bodily against the knight's ankles, causing said knight to startle and shriek, slamming one of her knees upward into the table.

"Oh! Amethyst!" Pearl groaned and held her knee, head bowed forward.

Amethyst leapt up onto the table, her paws stepping clumsily over still drying ink as she made her way over to headbutt Pearl in apology.

"Ghhhh, I should have known it was you," Pearl grumbled, "I thought the rats had returned."

Amethyst chuckled and flopped down on her side, right on top of the papers Pearl had been working on. "Will you live?"

Pearl lifted her head, squinting at the cat. "Surely you have better things to do than get hair caught in my inkwell."

"No."

Pearl sighed and pet through Amethyst's fur, who rose up happily to meet her hand. "You're always kinder to me when I'm a cat," she noted.

"I wouldn't be mean if you wouldn't talk to me while I'm at my post."

"Please," Amethyst said, rolling her eyes,"The Queen isn't in danger of being assassinated in an empty throne room. You could spare a minute to talk."

Pearl shuddered, withdrawing her hand. "Perish the thought."

"Fine." Amethyst sat up to lick a splotch of ink from her paw. "Do you know when Garnet will return? She's been away too long."

"She arrived early this morning," Pearl said.

Amethyst sprang up on all four feet, scattering parchment across the floor. "What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"You've injured my knee, wrecked my reports-"

"Reports?" Amethyst scoffed. "These are poems. Where's Garnet?"

Blushing, Pearl scrambled to gather the papers and clutched them to her chest. "Asleep, I should think. And they're not /all/ poems..."

Amethyst couldn't stick around to hear the rest of Pearl's protests; Garnet was back! She skidded around a corner and up a flight of stairs, the stone cold against her paws. Down the hallway and- ach!

She swore, or rather, made an oddly cat-like grumble, seeing that Garnet's door was closed and most likely locked. Pressing her ear to the door, she could hear... very faint breathing. But other than that, nothing.

Well, perhaps Garnet wouldn't mind being woken up.

Amethyst didn't spare the issue another thought and shifted into a beetle, scurrying underneath the door. Once inside, she burst back into her feline form and pounced onto the bed where Garnet lay.

"Heh heh heh, Garrrnnnnnet..." She paused, the teasing words meant to wake her friend and mentor fading away as she looked her over.

Garnet appeared unusually... haggard, her pallor odd. Her eyebrows were furrowed even in sleep and her mouth set in a tense frown. She laid curled on her side, not even underneath the covers.

Something felt very off.

"Garnet?" Amethyst pawed at her shoulder. A snap of static hit her, disheveling her fur, and she swiftly reclaimed her paw.

Garnet's magic was acting up too, the air heavy and prickly with static.

Amethyst lost her focus and reverted to her human form, falling off the bed in the process. She scrambled upright and leaned over the bed to peer at Garnet anxiously. "Garnet." She patted the woman's cheek and yelped at the resulting shock.

She shook out her stinging hand, using some of the fancy swears the knights had taught her. "Christ, you don't look well. Uhh, stay here and- and I'll fetch Pearl or... someone."

"Pearl! Pearl! Pearl!" Amethyst slammed the door to Pearl's study open and rushed inside.

"What is it now, Amethyst?" Pearl asked, not looking up from her supposed reports.

Amethyst thudded her hands down against the table dramatically. "Garnet. She's sick."

That got Pearl's attention. She slowly set her quill down and folded her hands in front of her, listening but wary. "If this is in jest-"

"It's not!"

"-it's in very poor taste."

"Her magic is acting strange, too." Amethyst bounced on her heels, jittery and nervous at Pearl's scrutinizing gaze. "It's not a trick this time. Please," she said, "I- I'm worried."

Pearl's jaw clenched and she stood from her chair. "I'll find Rose. Go be with Garnet."

"Wait, why do you need the Queen?" Amethyst asked as Pearl strode past her.

"Garnet. Now," Pearl commanded, already out of the room and down the hall.

Amethyst crossed her arms. "Bossy," she huffed. She trudged back up the stairs and pushed Garnet's door open, a little disheartened to see that she was still asleep. Amethyst sat down on the edge of the bed, patting a rhythmless beat on her knees. "Sooooo... how's life, Garnet?"

No reply. As expected. Only the birds chirping and, in contrast, the distant clang and clamor of the guards urging on a scuffle in the courtyard met her ears.

Despite all that, it was still far too quiet for Amethyst. She bit her lip and glanced at Garnet again. "Try not to lightning attack me," she whispered, reaching her hand out. She shook Garnet's shoulder, wincing at the shock dancing across her palm, but held on another moment to give her another rougher shove.

Garnet's breathing hitched and her eyes opened, bleary. "...Wha- Yes?"

Amethyst laughed triumphantly just as the Queen and Pearl entered the room. "I woke her!"

"Thank you, Amethyst," Queen Rose said, but her gaze was focused on Garnet. "...I thought you said it was just a scratch."

Garnet blinked in confusion. "It is." She tried to sit up only to fall back down, wheezing a little. "At least, it was. Agh."

"Perhaps the beast that attacked you was cursed," Pearl said thoughtfully.

"What?!" Amethyst waved her arms around. "You were attacked?!"

Garnet flashed her a weak smile. "Only a bit."

"Why does no one tell m-?! Gah!" Amethyst stuttered in frustration. She watched the Queen gently push up Garnet's shirt to examine the claw marks marring her side. Rose tisked and Amethyst's concern only grew when the Queen began to cry, her tears falling against Garnet's wounds.

A brief glow of light encased Garnet's side and then vanished, the claw marks disappearing with it. Amethyst squeezed her eyes shut and then reopened them, not understanding what she was seeing. "...H-how?"

The Queen turned to her, a sly smile on her lips.

Realization slowly overcame Amethyst. "...Are you magic, too?" Her whisper was reverent; she had respected Queen Rose before, but now it was doubly so.

"Yes," the Queen whispered back, seeming amused.

Amethyst grinned at Queen Rose before she remembered Pearl. Giddy, she spun around to clasp the knight by the shoulders. "And what about you?"

Pearl frowned something halfway between sullen and affronted. "I'm not magic. Only a knight."

The Queen made a noise of disagreement and moved to cup one side of Pearl's face and kiss the other, lips hovering by her ear to whisper something that had Pearl bashful and blushing.

Garnet chuckled, drawing Amethyst's attention. "Not in my room," she teased, voice quieter than usual, her breaths deep and slow.

"Are you tired?" Amethyst asked.

"Very."

Pearl cleared her throat, stepping away from Rose's smirk. "W-we should let you rest then."

"We should," the Queen agreed, "Please, send for me if you start feeling unwell again. Rest tomorrow as well."

Garnet nodded. "I will, and thank you."

"Well... bye! Sleep well," Pearl said as she and the Queen left, the door swinging partially closed behind them.

Amethyst scratched the back of her neck. "I guess I should go, too."

"Not if you don't want to," Garnet said.

"Do you /want/ me to stay?" Amethyst's heart skipped as she asked, making half of her question unsure and breathless.

Garnet made an indecipherable noise and rolled onto her back, situating herself under the covers. "I wouldn't mind if you did."

"Oh, uh..." Amethyst's face felt hot for some reason. "I can stay for a while." She hesitantly sat at the foot of Garnet's bed, right on the edge as if she were considering making a hasty escape.

"...I have to thank you," Garnet said, "I assume it was you who found me."

Amethyst chuckled awkwardly. "I, uh, crawled under your door as a beetle, so..."

"Impressive," Garnet murmured.

"Heh, thanks. Been practicing my magic while you were away." Amethyst stared at her feet, biting her lip in thought. "Garnet? Why didn't the Queen tell me she was magic too?"

Garnet sighed, settling further into her pillows. "She's very private, being the leader of a kingdom and all."

"Magic- it's not... something to be ashamed of," Amethyst said while looking up at Garnet, almost begging for reassurance,

"Certainly not," Garnet affirmed, "And she's not ashamed of you either, if that's what you worry about."

Amethyst swallowed and nodded, a little surprised that Garnet had found the root of the problem before she had even discovered it herself. She looked away again.

After too long a silence, Garnet spoke, her voice soft, "Come and lay down."

Amethyst nearly choked on her own tongue with how fast her head turned. "Wha- Uh, next to you?"

"If you want," Garnet said, one corner of her mouth drawn up in a sympathetic smile. The way her eyelids drooped made Amethyst think she was barely clinging to consciousness.

"...Uh yeah. Sure. Why not?" Amethyst said, feigning casualness. She hopped off the foot of the bed and walked over to the side of the bed with the most room, which was not much- Garnet's bed barely fit Garnet, much less two people.

"Sorry," Amethyst whispered as she haphazardly positioned herself on the bed. It was impossible to lay down without some part of her side pressing into Garnet's.

Garnet hummed good-naturedly, eyes closing.

Amethyst, however, was far too aware of Garnet's shoulder brushing against her own to do the same. She forced herself to lay as still as humanly possible, not wanting to disturb Garnet. Even breathing seemed like too much. And her heart- if only it would get the message and calm down as well. They were so close that Amethyst was almost worried Garnet could feel her pulse fluttering.

She couldn't remember the last time she had been this close to someone, this close to Garnet. It was tantalizing in a way; she had enough contact and yet she wanted more. To be even closer.

Amethyst eyed Garnet's hand, resting loosely curled beside her.

Gutsy.

She carefully inched her hand over, now truly holding her breath as she placed her hand warmly over Garnet's. She tensed, waiting for a reaction, a rebuke. After a short, stunned pause, Garnet chuckled under her breath and rubbed her thumb across Amethyst's knuckles.

"I'm glad you're here," Garnet said.

Amethyst's heart soared and she blinked away the beginnings of watery tears. "You too. Me too? I mean, uh." She cleared her throat, finding her words tangled in her mouth. "I'm not very good at... talking today," she apologized, face hot.

Garnet squeezed her hand and laughed quietly. "That's fine."

Amethyst exhaled slowly and closed her eyes, trying to calm down some. Despite this and Garnet's thumb running soothingly over her knuckles, a sort of worried dread seeped up in her gut. "Garnet?"

"Mm?"

"Sorry. I keep waking you," Amethyst hastily apologized, "But uh, getting attacked by cursed monsters isn't a regular thing, is it?"

"I'd say not," Garnet said, "Why?" She turned her head on her pillow to look at Amethyst, eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh. Just." Amethyst swallowed, mouth dry at the breath tickling her ear. She didn't dare turn her own head toward Garnet because of how close she was already- if she did, they would surely brush lips- so she spoke to the cobwebbed ceiling, eyes firmly skyward. "It was a little... scary seeing you like that, I guess."

"It's not a regular occurrence," Garnet said, "And it's even more unusual for them to land a hit on me. Don't worry."

Amethyst chuckled, greatly relieved, and tilted her head just enough to meet Garnet's eyes. "Oh, are you bragging now?"

Garnet grinned wide, eyes sparkly with pride and mirth. "Perhaps a little."

"Well, you earned it. You best me at every sparring match."

Still smiling, Garnet shook her head slightly and reminded her, "No, I recall you having one very decisive win."

Amethyst laughed. "Yeah 'cause I tripped you and you landed flat on your back."

"It was a good move," Garnet defended.

"It was." Amethyst sighed, content. Now that her worries were put to rest, the silence that followed was almost enough to allow her to fall asleep, and she would have if not for Garnet's head slipping forward to rest against her temple.

Amethyst stiffened and almost offered a teasing comment about it in order to appear unaffected, but the steady breathing beside her told her Garnet had finally fallen asleep. She laughed under her breath, a little amazed at her current situation- a little amazed at the woman beside her.

"Sweet dreams, Garnet."

 **Author's Note: For some reason I have a very hard time keeping one shots as, well, one shots. I feel a plot coming on...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: The deeper I get into this the more I realize I don't know enough about Medieval times. And I'm totally skittering around the Catholic Church and that nasty serfdom business.**

 **But I'm assuming you guys aren't here for the historical accuracy, are you?**

"Garnnnnneeeet," Amethyst whined, "My horse hates me." She hadn't ridden a horse in a very, very long time. It had always been a luxury she couldn't afford, but now that she worked for royalty, it seemed more like a necessity. That, and the castle guards would tease her relentlessly if she didn't know how to handle a horse.

Her horse (Sugi, the stablehand had told her) snorted, drawing her from her thoughts to uncomfortably watch the mare's slightly twitching ears. "Garnet." She looked to her teacher, pleading.

Garnet glanced behind her shoulder to meet her eyes. "She might have liked you if you didn't brag about being a better horse than her," she quipped.

"I would be a much better horse," Amethyst insisted, more out of her desire to talk away her nerves than out of stubbornness (although, it was a little bit out of stubbornness). Her sweaty hands were making the reins difficult to grip, and she hoped Garnet couldn't see the beads of sweat she felt on her forehead.

Garnet chuckled in that quiet way Amethyst loved. "Here, I'll slow down." She pulled back so that her horse walked beside Amethyst's. "You're stiff; she knows you're nervous."

"No, I'm not," Amethyst said, gaze fixed ahead, shoulders unbearably tense now that Garnet had mentioned it. Her horse gave a quick, disagreeing snort.

"Easy," Garnet said, voice soft as if trying to calm the horse as well as Amethyst. "We're almost there now."

"Pshh, we're riding so slow we'll be lucky to get there by dusk."

"Oh?" (Amethyst could practically hear the eyebrow raise) "Would you like to go faster?"

"NO!" Amethyst blurted out. Her horse faltered in step for an instant.

"Careful," Garnet warned, one hand reaching out towards Amethyst.

Amethyst swallowed, thankful her horse didn't bolt. "...Sorry."

"It's alright. Look." Garnet pointed to the slight hill ahead of them, welcoming shade trees growing all along one side. "Just up that hill and we'll stop."

"Okay." Amethyst tried not to squirm in impatience as they made the slow trek up the hill. But when they finally got there, the view was... gorgeous, almost worth the agonizing horse ride.

The castle stood as a proud fortress, the flags on the towers stirring in the breeze, waving to the sprawling town beneath. Alternating farmland and forest created a textured patchwork over the land surrounding it, and the sky was blue like Garnet's right eye.

Amethyst breathed in warm summer air and sighed. "This is nice."

"It is," Garnet agreed, "Do you need help getting off your horse?"

Amethyst tore her eyes away from the view to see that Garnet had already dismounted from her own horse and tied it to a nearby tree. "No, I can do it." She attempted to gracefully swing her leg over the horse's back but instead... thwacked Sugi in the neck with her foot and fell to the grass at Garnet's feet. The very opposite of gracefully.

Garnet stepped forward to snatch up the reins, keeping the horse from running away like it instinctually wanted to, while Amethyst scrambled away from the huge hooves near her head.

"Whoa, easy. I'm sure Amethyst didn't mean to bludgeon you in the neck," Garnet said soothingly, stroking the now attentive horse's nose.

Once safely out of the way, Amethyst let herself flop back on the grass in relief. "I think 'bludgeon' is a little harsh, don't you?"

"Mm, you kicked her hard enough," Garnet said, still consoling Amethyst's mare, "You're very lucky she's so patient."

"Patient?" Amethyst scoffed. She closed her eyes, letting the breeze wash over her. "Half the time she wanted to buck me off."

"But she didn't."

"I hate this training," Amethyst complained, "Let's go back to swords."

Garnet laughed, her voice sounding closer than before. Amethyst squinted one eye open and watched Garnet settle down beside her, a promising basket in her grasp. "Well, I'm sure this will make up for it."

"Food?" Amethyst asked hopefully.

"Yes, food." Garnet pressed an apple into Amethyst's hands, grinning playfully.

Amethyst pushed herself up and lightly shoved Garnet's shoulder. "Don't laugh at me. I've been eating porridge all my life while you get fancy castle food." She took a vicious bite out of her apple.

"No, I understand." Garnet tore off a hunk of bread and passed it to Amethyst. "I'm from-" She paused thoughtfully, pointing past the castle at something in the distance. "-that sort of valley there? It's not really a valley, but it dips a little. Patch of farmland. You can see it from here."

"Oh." Amethyst studied the area Garnet described. Just a slight dip in the land; she had overlooked it before, but now it stood out with new significance: Garnet's home. "I thought you were like the other knights."

Garnet shook her head. "I was recruited. Like you."

"How did they find you?"

"I, uh." Garnet chortled briefly. "I set fire to a field of our crop with my lightning. On accident, of course."

Amethyst winced sympathetically. "So you definitely starved that winter."

"No. Once Rose heard and convinced me to join, she helped my parents get back on their feet." Garnet stared out towards the little dip in the land. "They didn't want to accept any help because they were mad at Rose for taking me, but they did in the end."

"I mean, I'd be mad too," Amethyst said.

"I chose to go," Garnet said, eyes flickering to Amethyst, "Granted, I wonder how much choice I truly had in the matter."

"You think the Queen would have forced you to join her?" Amethyst asked. She realized living in the castle had made her forget just how dangerous Queen Rose could be; she silently vowed to be more vigilant in the future with matters involving the Queen.

"There's no way of knowing." Garnet shrugged and leaned back on her hands. "My parents and I wouldn't be so fortunate if not for her. I only wish I saw them more often. The last time I visited-"

"You got attacked by a monster?" Amethyst tossed her apple core over her shoulder. Garnet threw her an amused look for scarfing the apple down so fast.

"Well, yes," Garnet said, "But I tried to convince them to come live in the castle with me, and yet they refuse to leave that scrawny patch of land." She sighed heavily. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Amethyst asked evasively, rummaging through the basket. Whistling lowly, she pulled out a bottle of red wine hidden on the bottom. "This looks expensive."

"It might be. Rose gave it to me a while ago." Garnet nodded to the basket. "There should be a cup in there."

"Thanks." Amethyst poured herself some of the wine, cringing when it sloshed over the rim in her clumsiness. She set the bottle down and shook the drops of wine off her hand. "An older cousin of mine raised me," she finally said, "Well, kind of raised me- I think I raised myself more than anyone else did."

"I imagine you were very self-sufficient then," Garnet said.

Amethyst sat up a little straighter, a pleased smile on her lips. "Yeah, I guess I was." She took a another sip from the cup and passed it to Garnet. "My cousin ran off a few years ago. Don't know what happened to her."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's alright," Amethyst said, shrugging, "Jasper was kind of an ass anyway."

"Jasper," Garnet murmured, lips pressed to the cool edge of the cup, "That name is almost familiar." She drank from the cup and passed it back to Amethyst who took it with fumbling hands.

"Really?" Amethyst quickly cleared her throat, trying to stifle how hopeful she had sounded. "Maybe she stopped by the capital on her way out."

"Maybe..." Garnet stared at the horizon, frowning in thought.

Amethyst thought this was very cryptic behavior but allowed Garnet to think for a while. It gave her time to tear through more bread and down another cup of wine (which, on second thought, might not have been the best decision) and stare at Garnet's silhouette against the blue sky.

Well, not that she intended to stare at Garnet; that's just where her eyes always seemed to migrate to for some reason.

Garnet blew a disgruntled puff of air out her lips. "No, I can't place it."

Amethyst's eyes darted away just as Garnet turned her head. "Don't worry about it. I'll ask Pearl or the guards. We don't need to be thinking about my rascal cousin for our entire picnic." She chuckled, recalling something. "Speaking of the guards, they're jealous of me."

"Jealous?" Garnet said.

"Because I'm magic," Amethyst said matter-of-factly. She leaned back on her elbows with a cocky grin. "But mostly because of you."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, they're too shy to talk to you, but they think you're really pretty."

"And what do you think?" Garnet asked, a little lopsided smile hiding in her words.

Despite the blush on her face, Amethyst acted as if she were thinking it over, eyes turning upward to study the underside of the leaves above them. The horses snickered in the brief moment of quiet. "Ehhh, you're alright."

Garnet froze and then, to Amethyst's surprise, threw her head back and laughed.

Time itself seemed to slow before Amethyst's eyes, and she witnessed the moment with a beaming smile, proud of herself for being the cause of Garnet's carefree laughter.

"Well, I-" Garnet interrupted herself with another bout of laughter. She wiped her eyes and then clasped Amethyst's shoulder. "I suppose I can always count on you to keep me humble."

Amethyst uprooted a few blades of grass and sprinkled them over Garnet's lap. "Being humble sounds like something Pearl would teach."

"Ah, it does." Garnet shot her a grin. "We'll leave that to Pearl then." She gathered up the grass Amethyst had littered over her and relinquished it to the breeze. The wind picked up, ruffling the trees and carrying the grass away before fading out once again.

"Are you sure you don't have wind magic too? That was a little too conv-Ahc-" Amethyst sneezed suddenly. "Ugh."

"Are you catching sick?"

Amethyst sniffled. "No, it was your wind magic's fault."

"It was only a coincidence."

"Well, can I have the wind magic then?" Amethyst asked.

Garnet chuckled. "Sure," she said, leaning closer to guide a messy lock of hair out of Amethyst's face. "Then you could shapeshift into a storm."

Despite the easygoing conversation topic, Amethyst found herself struggling to find words with Garnet still so close by. It reminded her of lying in Garnet's bed while she slept after the monster attack. She swallowed, gaze drifting.

"...Garnet?"

Garnet's eyes grew soft and her voice even softer. "Yes?"

With a shaky breath to steel herself, Amethyst placed her hand on Garnet's cheek and /almost/ impulsively smashed their lips together, but she was grateful that she didn't when she felt Garnet lean slightly into her hand, a sweet sigh leaving her lips.

A giddy neigh echoed off the trees, and Amethyst and Garnet startled apart to see the backside of Amethyst's horse prancing down the hill. Amethyst blinked, processing the swift change in events. "See?" Her voice cracked and she blushed even harder. "I told you she hates me."

"...She'll make her way back to the stables. Strange though," Garnet said, "I've never seen Sugi act like that." She smirked, but Amethyst saw the sheepishness in it; it seemed as if they were both dancing around what had just happened. "I guess she does hate you."

Even as flustered as she was, Amethyst had to laugh at that. "Rude!"

 **Author's Note: You should check out "I Don't Know" by Lisa Hannigan (VA for Blue Diamond!) because I listened to it a lot while writing this. Seemed fitting because Garnet and Amethyst are learning more about each other.**

 **Until next time! (Whenever that may be)**


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